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Boulder proposes 8 mph bike speed limit in crosswalks

Measure would also require pedestrians, cyclists to activate flashing lights

By John Aguilar Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
11/10/2011 08:15:32 PM MST

Updated:
11/11/2011 12:06:58 PM MST

A cyclist using the flashing lights crosses Canyon Boulevard at 11th Street in Boulder on Thursday.
(
MARK LEFFINGWELL
)

Proposed traffic changes

Create a speed limit of 8 mph for those entering and traversing a crosswalk

Require crosswalk users to activate the warning device before entering a crosswalk

Fines doubled for automated speed enforcement in construction zones

Allow for back-in angled parking

Remove restrictions on parking for multi-lane roadways

Allow a striped center line to restrict parking on narrow streets

Make it illegal under city law to pass a vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk in an adjacent lane to allow a pedestrian to cross

Boulder leaders will take up a proposal next week that would more strictly regulate how cyclists, pedestrians and motorists use crosswalks -- including a new speed limit for bikes.

Those entering and traversing a crosswalk would have to do so no faster than 8 mph, under a proposed amendment to the city's traffic code.

"It's slow but rideable," said Bill Cowern, Boulder's transportation operations engineer. "You can do so without feeling like your bike is wobbling and falling over."

Cowern said a disproportionate number of accidents at the city's 15 flashing crosswalks involve bicycles, and Boulder needs to adopt regulations that speak directly to the city's large cycling population.

In a study conducted a few years ago, the city found that in 70 percent of accidents when a person was hit crossing at a flashing crosswalk, a bicycle was involved. That, the study concluded, was despite the fact that less than half the crossing activity was bicycle-related.

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The City Council is scheduled to vote on the motion on a first reading Tuesday. Public discussion and a final vote on the measure would occur at a later date.

The rule changes would also require that all crosswalk users activate flashing lights where available. Now, it's up to the pedestrian or cyclist whether to press the button that turns on the yellow lights.

"If the pedestrian is not pushing that button, they're not offering the driver the opportunity to see them," Cowern said.

As for drivers, they will have to come to a stop at a crosswalk if another vehicle is already stopped in an adjacent lane waiting for someone to cross. State law already mandates that, but the city wants to specifically make it part of its traffic code, Cowern said.

Kurt Weiler, a Boulder police commander who helped draft the rules going before the council, said officers soon could be clocking the speed of pedestrians and cyclists in the city's crosswalks. He said it would be up to the municipal court to determine fine amounts or penalties for those who exceed the 8 mph limit or fail to activate flashing lights.

"This is an improvement from where we are," he said.

But Dan Grunig, executive director of Bicycle Colorado, said he is troubled that Boulder is creating its own regulations when state laws suffice.

"Having a patchwork of unique laws that motorists or cyclists are unlikely to learn, it may affect the safety of people on the road," he said.

Grunig is also concerned that Boulder's regulations could increase the liability for pedestrians or cyclists involved in accidents by requiring them to prove they were within the 8 mph speed limit or activated the lights.

But Cowern said the additional rules are necessary in a city where two-wheeled travel is so popular.

"Boulder is different with all its bikes," he said.

Tuesday's proposed motion includes language that would codify the doubling of fines for those caught speeding in construction zones. It would also clear the way for Boulder to add angled parking, in which motorists back into a parking space.

Cowern said back-in angled parking would most likely be used in areas where a bike lane along the side of the street poses a hazard for cyclists as drivers attempt to back out of spaces.

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